Adeption
by Crazycakes
Summary: [YYxY Discontinued] In a world where upper magics are looked down on and sneered at, can Yuugi ever hope to keep his powers hidden from the city? With the King of the land as his father, his future looks dim.
1. It Starts

I came up with this fic A day or two ago. I got bored and just started writing. I liked the plot, so I decided to continue it. If anyone likes it, and thinks I should continue, I will do so.

This is only the prolouge. The actual chapters _will_ be longer.

Disclaimer: Yugioh is © Kazuki Takahashi. I own no rights to the show, and am not making any profit off of the fiction.

Adeption  
by HikariEryaviel  
(June 13, 2004: 8:29 PM)

**I**t would be a long, long winter.   
  
For this, the natives were happy. The tourists that were used to warmer climates thought it was horrible, but that was their problem. But for the most part, everyone enjoyed the cold weather.   
  
Though, it was always cold in Iora Pole.   
  
Yuugi, a 17 year old native to the Pole and High Prince to the kingdom was currently fishing. He had gone out to Penguin Lake earlier that morning, and had been trying his luck all day long. He was doing well so far; the huge basket next to him was almost full.   
  
Everyone thought that Yuugi was strange. He did things that most people in the Pole wouldn't do. Even the tourists, and they were known for being some of the strangest people around. He'd do almost anything anyone dared him to do. He wasn't afraid of most things. And as long as the content in the dare wouldn't hurt him, he'd make sure to do it. He liked to live his life. The natives were known for being stuck up and haughty- especially the royals- and Yuugi make it his job to not be anything like them.   
  
That was probably why he was only wearing boxers when it was below zero outside.   
  
He didn't think it was a big deal. If he did get sick he could ask the family magician to mix up a potion to make him better. Or he could tap into his own magic and do it himself. But...why do that? He didn't want to do anything he didn't have to. If he could get someone else to do it, it was all the better for him. Plus, if he didn't have to do any magic during the day, he could practice longer at night. And he wanted to get stronger. He made a personal vow to himself that he'd be stronger than everyone before him. And he always kept his promises.  
  
But the hard thing was...he had to keep it a secret. He couldn't let anyone know he was an Adept. His uncle had been one, and he'd heard all of the horrible stories of what his grandfather had to do to train him. All royal Adepts had to go through a 'special' training process. No one knew exactly what it was, but he had heard the stories. He had practiced day and night, by himself, so he wouldn't have to go through that. He'd learned the ways of magic, but he didn't have the knowledge forced into him like it had been done to the others before him. He'd learned it. He'd mastered it. And they'd see soon. They'd see that their ways were wrong, and he'd get the mistreatment of Adepts to stop.  
  
Adepts were treated horribly. The kingdom was scared of them. They were few in number, but most of them were dirt poor and looked down on by the masses. The only Adept Yuugi knew of that wasn't mistreated was the Royal Mage. And they didn't even know he was an Adept. They thought he was what his title said he was: a Mage. He was far from that lowly status, Yuugi knew. But Mages were respected because they had less magic, and were less dangerous.  
  
Of course they were less dangerous! They used the disgusting Earthlight magics! Only the lowliest of Magicians would bother with Earthlight. And unless they were Earthlight Adepts, they were terribly weak. Yuugi had only met a few number of EL Adepts, and most couldn't do much at all. But there was one or two that had completely mastered it. These Adepts were stronger than those who had not mastered the stronger elements, but once the others had mastered their own magics, they beat them by far. Mages were only able to summon certain aspects of Earthlight, and were horribly weak. Earthlight Adepts were much stronger.  
  
There were tons of different magical elements. Most Adepts had one element that they mastered, because they were too weak to harbor too many of them. They were simply not born strong enough to handle more than one. Only those of the blood were strong enough to handle the upper magics, and those who could handle more than one of those same magics were to be feared and respected. These were the Leaders of the Adepts. The ones who could destroy cities with a mere thought. They could split the Earth and stop century-long wars with a simple snap of their fingers.  
  
And in that, Yuugi was more than just a royal to the Pole. He was a royal in a completely different aspect. He was a Neuscion Adept, the most feared and sought after Power in the world. He could control every single element known to man, and then some.   
  
He had been practicing this Power since he was a small child, ever since he had found out about his magic. He practiced as much as he could, and when he was younger, he noticed he could do more than regular people could. He had accidentally blown up a tavern when he was eight. No one in it had a chance to live  
  
No one had known it was him. They were confused as to why he was crying so hard when they had left the scene, but had thrown it off as him being more in-tune with the winds than most. Ever since that incident, Yuugi had sworn to himself that he would never let his magic hurt people again. So he trained, and he trained hard.   
  
Later that year, the Adepts that had heard of the incident went looking for him. They had felt his power, and knew what sorts of things he could do. They found him, and swore him into the Order. They were the only ones that knew of his complete Power, and were the only friends he had.  
  
Each Sector had two Orders. And each continent had four Sectors, regardless of the size of the land. Usually, the Orders would be placed in the larger cities, so traveling Adepts would be able to find them. Yuugi was part of Jynain Order, the main Order and capital of their Sector. The other Order in their Sector was the Iora, which was named after the Pole.  
  
Their Order had many different Adepts. There were few Adepts, true, but the blood wasn't dying out too quickly. There were about 300 Adepts in each Order, so there were about 2400 Adepts on each continent. However, most Adepts were spread out enough so there were only about 15 or so in a city at a given time. None were required to stay in the city of their Order. They could be a nomad Adept and move wherever they please, but every Adept had a home Order.   
  
Yuugi decided that his fingers were cold enough already. He got up off of the ice and put his remaining fish in the extra basket he had brought with him. He rubbed his legs for a bit in order to wake them up. He had stayed in the same position for too long and was slightly sore from leaning over the hole in the ice all day. He eventually got up and began to load his baskets onto his sled.   
  
Once he was done, he gave three shrill whistles and his small team of dogs came running up to him. He gave the four of them a few pats on the head and a treat each, and then put them into their harnesses. After that was done, he held tightly onto the sled. He gave another whistle, and the dogs were off.   
  
Man, there would be a lot of fish for dinner tonight.


	2. Removing the Chains

**Chapter 1:**

**Y**uugi paced back and forth inside his room. He didn't have much to think about, but he was thinking all the same. He was going over random details in his mind, slipping from subject to subject. Whenever he sat down and actually started to think through things, he could never keep his mind on one certain path. The images in his mind became too jumbled. He forced his mind to think of something else, and he would come back to that train of thought later.

Currently, he was thinking about a meeting he would have to attend the next day. He and all the upper Adepts of Jynain Order were to meet tomorrow and discuss a certain incoming Order. A few royals were traveling from Eeon to their Sector, and would be spending most of their time in Jynain for who knows what reason. They were planning to arrive the next night, and damn that fish downstairs smelled good…

Yuugi shook his head, chuckling slightly at himself. _'C'mon, you gotta put your mind to this certain train of thought. You really need to figure out what you're going to do tomorrow. Don't forget, you've got to figure out how you're going to get out of the Palace tomorrow. You know Dad'll be hard to crack. Then you have to find some excuse for letting a bunch more people have a week long 'sleepover'. The Gods know he'll hate that one…'_

Yuugi shook his head again. It was his job to make sure the royals from Eeon had a place to stay. Seto, with his gigantic house, would take all the undermagicians. Yuugi snorted. The lucky bastard didn't want to argue with the nobles. Seto didn't want to be ordered around in his own house by the Leader or Eeon. Which would make sense, but it still sucked for the short 17 year old. They would have an equal status, but he hoped the Leader wouldn't be too stuck up. He hated dealing with those kinds of people.

Yuugi looked up at the clock above his door. It was still about a half hour until dinnertime. He sighed and flopped down on his bed face-first, folding his arms above his head. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, and then moved them back to their original position. His moving hand brushed up against the top of his back and he blinked, a frown forming on his face.

He had touched his mark.

Every Adept had a mark, and almost every Adept's mark was different. Usually, a magician's mark would show up around the age of nine or ten, depending on when he came into his or her Power.

You could tell a lot about a magician by their mark. It was like a stamp, showing his or her status and Power to everyone. You could tell these different things by the shape of the mark, the color of it, and few different things that only certain people had. Like status; you could tell that by the shape. All Leaders had a triangle shaped mark. And if they didn't, they weren't meant to be a leader. Same with Second in Command, they had a circular mark.

The color would show what kind of magic the person used. Most were not all familiar with all the colors of the elements. Yuugi would get people with new colors all the time. Colors he had never seen before. Usually, these were stronger people, seeing as the element was rare, and wasn't known about.

He also got people coming in asking what kind of element they had. Yuugi would roll his eyes at these ones. Most of them were Earthlight or Finar Adepts, and most of them didn't deserve to have Power in the first place. They did more harm than they did good. These kinds of people were the ones that showed off their magic to friends, family, or just anyone that would listen. They brandished their magic to the world, and this was the main reason the world feared Adepts.

Some Earthlights had gone too far one day, and had lost control in a bar full of people. The kingdoms went into an uproar, and from that day on, Adepts were looked down on by all cities. If they were royals, they were given harsh training to make sure that they wouldn't harm anything. If they were peasants, they would be forbidden to use any kinds magic, and disobedience was punishable by death. This was why they were looked down on.

Yuugi preferred it if the lower magicians just stayed out of his way.

He snorted. _'Thinking off topic again, Yuugi. Sheesh…_' He traced his fingers over his mark, contemplating it once more.

There was something special about everyone's mark, though. Telling others what kind of Adept you were wasn't the only thing it did. It could tell you who your bonded was. It told you your complete balance and perfect match. No two people had the same mark- unless they were meant to be yours.

There was someone out there with the same mark as Yuugi. Every adept had that one person out there with the same mark, the same stamp, the same symbol telling them they were meant for one another.

Yuugi prayed to the Gods every day, asking for his bonded. No one could really understand him. His family knew nothing about his secret role as Adept Leader, and he kept a lot of information away from his friends. He didn't want to, but he was used to holding everything in. He was a Prince, that was what he was trained to do. He just wanted that one person to explain everything to. He wanted to tell her- or him, he wasn't picky- about his doubts, his fears, his insecurities. He didn't want to be alone anymore.

He turned over, grabbed one of the pillows behind his head, and smothered it over his face. He was annoyed with all this depressing crap. _'You're supposed to be a nice, bouncing, happy boy, Yuugi. Remember?'_

He threw the pillow against the wall and got up to walk in front of his full-length mirror. He practically ripped off his shirt and spun around, craning his neck sideways in an attempt to see his back in the reflection. His eyes softened. Right there, in between his shoulder blades, was his blasted symbol. The mark was slightly glowing because of the anger he had just released. If he had gotten any angrier, the thing would have probably started to pulsate. And if he were truly angry, it would most likely burn. This was only superstition on his part, Yuugi knew, because he had never actually gotten angry enough for he thing to actually start hurting. Though, a good portion of Adepts he had met said it did. But Yuugi lived by the 'Feeling is Believing' standards, and didn't truly trust what people said. Though, Yuugi's trust didn't come easy, and it never came without a price.

Yuugi smiled slightly, tracing his fingers over the mark again. The mark rested right above his shoulder blades, almost hitting the base of his neck. It was a small upside-down triangle. It had a strange, elongated, 4-pointed star in the middle of the reverse pyramid, and inside the star was a small circle that made it look like an eye from far away. The mark itself was a deep purple in color. Though, the star inside it was an off crimson, and the circle inside the star was a slightly darker reddish color.

These three colors together told everyone what kind of magic he had. It showed everyone that he was a Neuscion Adept, and he had scared off more than a few people with it. They all knew he was strong. Whenever an Adept saw his mark they'd gape at it and then they'd stare at his face and try to comprehend just how much magic he possessed.

They believed he was all-powerful.

Yuugi knew better. _'How can I be the strongest Adept out there when there's supposed to be someone out there just like me? Don't they realize that I'm not a complete person? That I'm not balanced? That I **can't **be all-powerful until I find that certain someone that just happens to share my mark?'_

He frowned. _'You have to stop thinking like this, Yuugi. You'll find that person someday. Just wait your turn. Impatience is not a virtue, you know that.'_

He glanced up at the clock and sighed, then went over to his dresser and began to change into more comfortable clothes. He grabbed some random leather ensemble from the drawer and began to change, hardly paying attention to what he was doing. He went to his desk and grabbed two of his belts and wrapped them around his waist. Then he added his neck belt, and a picked up a few studded wristbands and bracelets to go around his arms. After that he went over to his closet and searched through his shoes to find a pair of boots. He strapped them on, and when he was finished, he glanced up at the clock one last time.

He walked out the door and closed it, locking it behind him. Then the small teen made trekked his way through the palace. He was going to be late for dinner. _'Dad'll never agree with letting me go out tomorrow, now…' _He turned the corner and walked up to a door that was guarded by a few sword-wielding men. He smiled at them and they nodded, giving him permission to enter. He then opened the door, and entered the dining hall.

What he saw when he walked in the doors was not out of the ordinary. It was just his father, mother, his brothers and sisters, and a few upper nobles conversing over a nice meal. But what he felt told him something completely different. There was a lot of contained anger coming from a certain area in the room.

He quickly scanned the auras of the people in the room, checking for little inconsistencies in the people around him, and found that the main source of anger was coming from his father. _'Dad's angry about something. Oh **Joy**…'_

He walked passed the nobles, getting some glares on the way there. They were angry that he was late. After all, he was High Prince. He couldn't be late for anything. He was supposed to be _perfect_. He snorted inwardly at that thought. _'Oh yeah, perfect. And an Adept to boot. Would you look at that?' _He huffed. _'Stupid bastards…'_

But he smiled at them all the same. Because that's what he was supposed to do.

He shook his head of all his thoughts and walked up to his spot at the table. He would think about the stupid nobles later. Right now, it was time to eat. And he was hungry.

But when he reached his chair, he stopped dead.

One of his younger brothers was in his seat. He walked up to they boys' side and put his hands on his hips, staring at him. The boy didn't answer his stare for a few minutes, and was purposely trying to ignore him. Yuugi was mad now. He didn't care if his dad's aura was showing him that the man was angry enough to destroy the palace he was standing in, there was someone in his _chair_.

The boy finally got fed up with trying to ignore his older brother and looked up at Yuugi, sneering. "…Well?"

"Well what?"

The younger stared unhappily at the older boy. "What're ya lookin' at me like that for?"

"You're in my seat, Kaial. Now kindly remove yourself from it before I do it myself."

"No."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"I _said _no. And I meant it. I'm already comfortable. I'm not going to go out of my way to make you happy when you can go take my seat."

Yuugi narrowed his eyes at this. "Kaial, get to your seat _now._" The mark on his back was beginning to glow, he could tell. Thank the Gods he wore black.

The 9-year-old offered an exasperated look. "Just go sit in mine, it's not that difficult! Why are you still bothering me?"

His mother was beginning to look worried now. Yuugi didn't fight with his brothers often, but when he did, it could get nasty.

Yuugi sneered openly at his younger sibling and spit out, "I will _not_ go sit in your seat. I refuse to lower myself in rank, just so you can be happy. Now _get out!_"

If Yuugi hated anything more than Earthlight Mages, it was people that disregarded his rank. Even though he was High Prince by default (age being the main factor), he still worked hard for everything he did. Especially his _other_ main ranking. He would **_not_** let the boy slip away with this.

Kaial simply smirked up at Yuugi, eliciting a menacing growl out of the other boy. He was about to come up with a haughty retort (and consequently get his head ripped off by his brother), when his mother decided to break up the small fight. "Kai, please. Just go to your seat. Yuugi's right, you need to stay at your own ranking." She said it gently, and Kaial couldn't go against his mother's wishes.

The boy picked up his plate and walked down to one of the seats farther along the table. After seeing that he wasn't going to come back, Yuugi sat down in his chair and smiled gratefully at his mother. She smiled back, but still reprimanded him. "You should be nicer to your siblings, Yuugi. You know they really look up to you."

"Yeah, yeah…but you know that really bothers me."

She nodded. "Yes, but you _could_ be nicer about it."

"I'll try."

She smiled. "That's all I ask."

Yuugi nodded and began to pick at his plate. She was right, he should be nicer to them. Especially Kaial. That kid…Yuugi would have to start teaching that boy some manners; showing him to respect rank. He was going to need it.

...Kaial was, currently, the only other person in that family that was an Adept. Yuugi, being the oldest, had the lovely duty of bathing al 7 of his siblings before their respected bedtimes. While it was an immensely annoying duty, it let him keep tabs on the children in his family.

Yuugi had first spotted the mark when the boy was around six years old. It had shown up out of nowhere, and it had almost scared him out of his wits. Yuugi had asked him what it was to test him to see if he knew about it, but the younger replied saying that it had shown up the night before, and that he had no idea what it could have been. Yuugi had let out a sigh of relief at that moment, glad that he didn't know what it was, and yet fearful at the same time. He warned him not to show _anyone_, especially their parents, his mark. So far he had obliged, and hadn't whispered anything to a soul. But there was still the possibility of it slipping, and that was what worried Yuugi the most.

The mark Yuugi had found on Kaial had surprised him, though. He knew there would have to be another in his family to become an Adept, but he was shocked that it was him. Most Adepts were low key, and few of them could hardly hope to give themselves away. But his younger brother was a very loud, outspoken child. Which could have been a bad thing.

Though, when Yuugi saw what kind of magic Kaial had, he wasn't too terribly surprised. His mark was shaped in the form of a figure 8. there was a red horizontal line in the bottom circle, and an orange vertical line right in the middle of the two. But what really told what kind of magic he had was the dark yellow color filling in the rest of the mark. Once he saw the color, he knew exactly why he acted the way he did. He was a Aryn Adept. Yuugi's close friend Jounouchi had mastered the Aryn aspects of his magic, and was exuberant as ever. Kaial acted much the same way that Jou did.

But Yuugi was still worried about Kaial's Power. Anything could happen that could devastate what he had been working at for years. _'I'll have to swear him into an Order soon. I can't keep him waiting for too much longer. It's been three years already since he's come into his Power, and he still hasn't been trained at all. He could become dangerous if I let him go on too much longer.' _ After all, Yuugi's magic had let itself be known when he was eight, and Kaial was already nine. He couldn't keep sheltering the boy.

Yuugi was snapped out of his train of thought when his father's aura next to him. Yuugi had almost forgotten about that little predicament. He was silently hoping his dad would have gotten less angry as dinner wore on, but he had been wrong. If anything, he had gotten angrier. In fact, he was currently trying to rip his fish fillet into little tiny pieces. Yuugi played it cool.

"Father…you seem troubled. Is anything the matter?"

He lashed out, just as the teen suspected him to. "_Yes_, something is the matter! It's those damned Adepts again, causing havoc in the city! Those blustering _idiots_!"

Yuugi mentally flinched at his father's harsh remarks, but managed a slight smirk when he saw the small flicker of fear in his elder's at the mention of the Adepts. "What did they do _this_, time Father?" he said, pretending to go along with it.

"They're planning something, I just know it! There's been gossip all around the city about it. They're going to plan some gigantic attack and they're going to wipe us all out!"

Yuugi rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the comment. Non-Adepts annoyed him, yes, but he'd never want to kill any of them. But one of his more gullible siblings took the bait. "Oh, are they really, Father? That's just horrible! Can't you do something to stop them?" She twisted in her seat in anticipation of the answer.

"I'm afraid there's not much we can do. If they _do_ decide to attack us, we're good as dead."

Damn straight. At least they got that little fact right. But there'd never be an attack. Yuugi would make sure of that. But…could he use this to his advantage? After all, he _did_ need to get out of the palace to get to a meeting tomorrow…

"You know, Father, it would still be good to be informed about such things. If you'd like, I could go out and try to gather some useful information from the peasants. They're the most likely to know if anything is going on."

The King stroked his beard in contemplation. "Hmmmn…you know, that's a very thoughtful idea. I trust that you can keep yourself out of trouble if I let you go?"

Yuugi nodded. "All right then," he replied, " but make sure you stay out of trouble. We can't have you dying on us now, can we?" He chuckled a bit and Yuugi nodded again.

_'Yeah, but if you knew of what I was, you'd kill me yourself.' _He grimly thought.

"Also, Father, I have a few friends that are coming here from a different country tomorrow night. They were going to stay in one of the hotels in the city, but this news about Adepts worries me. Is there any way they can stay here at the Palace for the duration of their trip?"

"Ah, well, usually I'd say no. But if this Adept thing has you so worried for their safety, I don't think it would be a problem if they stayed here. Just how many people will we be looking at?"

"About five or six."

He smiled. "That should be fine then. We have plenty of room here."

Yuugi inclined his head slightly in seemingly uninterested agreement, but inside he was smiling. _'Score!'_

Yuugi flashed a horribly fake smile towards his family, before turning to his mother. "Mom, can I be excused from the table? I'd like to go take a walk on the grounds."

She looked down at his plate and sighed. "You've hardly eaten any of your food, dear. Are you sure you're not still hungry?"

The teen nodded. "Positive. Plus, if I get too horribly starved, I'll come back down later tonight and get something."

She nodded her consent, and Yuugi gave her a real smile before getting up and walking towards the doors. He took one last look at his family before exiting the dining hall and walking outside to head to the sports grounds. They were secluded and tightly locked so no one could come in at this time of the day. But with his magic, Yuugi could get in easily. No one would ever think to search for him there.

He let a small smile rest on his features. He loved coming outside at dusk. No one was ever out to come and bother him on his way there, and the grounds gave off a peaceful feeling. The winds were blowing in his favor. He let out a laugh, and started running all out to the sports area.

He had some training to do.


	3. Into the Storm

_****_

_**Adeption **_

**By HikariEryaviel**

**Monday June 21, 2004 (5:39 AM)**

**T**he wind coming from the open door of the balcony was trying to freeze his toes off. It really was. It was _cold!_

Yuugi yawned and stretched his arms over his head as his eyes slowly came into focus. He looked around, slightly disoriented, as he tried to figure out where in the world he was. When the sleepiness wore off some, he looked around and smacked his forehead, smiling stupidly to himself. Unfortunately, the smack forced his dizziness to come back full force and he landed back on his bed with a dull _thwump._ He laughed to himself. '_Of course. You're in your bedroom, dufus. Where else would you be?'_

_'Well, you never know. You did fall asleep at the sports' grounds after you were done training that one day back in November. You had the entire place freaked out, y'know!'_

Yuugi smiled despite himself, and turned over happily smothering his face into the pillow. He decided he'd continue this little conversation with himself. _'I had the place in an uproar, I did. That day was so awesome! The look on Dad's face was priceless!'_

_'You shouldn't talk bad of your father, Yuugi.'_

He snorted. _'And I shouldn't talk to myself either! But who's gonna stop me?'_

_'Me!' _And he punched himself in the face.

Yuugi couldn't take it anymore and started laughing like an idiot. The sound eventually got so loud that he had to smother his face in the pillow again.

After the laughing died down, he forced his giggling self out of bed. He made his way toward his balcony and over to the doors, shutting them. As he closed them, he took a look at the clouds outside. The city beyond his room was slightly darker than normal, and the clouds above his head were a dark menacing gray. He smiled. _'Aw, cool! It's definitely going to rain today!'_

He walked back over to his bed and _plopped_ back onto it. His face was pressed into the mattress so his nose was getting smushed, but he smiled all the same. _'Could this day get any better so far?'_

He smiled as big as he could, completely forgetting his troubles and insecurities for the time being. He loved it when he could be like this. There were always nobles around to make sure he was always prim, proper, and completely unemotional. Mornings like this were scarce, and he was lapping up every minute greedily.

Suddenly, a he could hear something coming from across the hall. He quickly feigned sleep so if they came in, he wouldn't be bothered. The sound kept getting louder until it was right at his door. It sounded like…giggling? Then came a lot of_ 'Shhh!_'s, and it rendered Yuugi helplessly confused.

He heard his bedroom door open but didn't look up to see who it was, because it would ruin his cover. He heard something- somethings?- move almost silently across the floor, and stop near his bed.

All at one there was a big "YUUGI!" and then he found himself covered with his laughing, tickling brothers and sisters.

After he got over the shock of having the seven people jump all over him, he started laughing all over again. He grabbed a few of them and started tickling them, while he himself was being tickled mercilessly. One of the younger siblings started jumping up and down on his bed saying, "C'mon, get up Yuugi! It's morning time!"

Yuugi pried himself from the throng of children and ran to the end of his bed. He put his hands out in front of him and yelled, "Alright, alright! I'm up! I'm awake!" He put his hands behind his back and reached behind him, grabbing a pillow that had found itself wedged between the bed and the wall.

He turned around to make it look like he was leaving, but at the last minute he turned around and jumped on the nearest person. With a loud battle cry, he started whacking anything he saw moving with the pillow. Soon, all of the other children found a fluffy weapon of their own, and started yelling and beating each other.

Then suddenly, the wind was knocked out of him as one of his sisters ran at him from the back, knocking him down on the bed. All at once, the children started ganging up on him. Two of the others were sitting on his back and effectively holding him down, whilst the other beat him with the pillows.

He laughed hard and yelled, "Hey, what is it, gang up on Yuugi day?!"

Half of them yelled "Yep!" and continued with their torture. Soon enough, Yuugi was laughing so hard the he thought he was going to bust a lung. He rolled over, forcing the two on his back to fall off, and grabbed his lost weapon and started up the war again.

Soon after, Yuugi was breathing heavily and was getting hit more often. He had managed to get himself pinned one or two times more before he gave up. "Alright! Uncle, uncle! I'm defeated! You got me!" And he feigned a dramatic death.

One of his siblings gave him another good _whack_ on the head for good measure, and Dead-Yuugi cracked a smile.

He blinked his eyes open. "Alright, who's up for breakfast?"

This got a chorus of cheers and yells. He felt himself being dragged up off of his mattress. "C'mon, bro!"

He smiled and waved the offered hand away, insisting on getting himself up. Once he had pulled himself upright, smaller hands were clawing at his, pulling him to the entrance of his room. He had to admit; the kids' laughter was addictive. He couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he pried their little fingers off his hands. "Heh, you guys go ahead, I still have to get dressed!"

His youngest sister groaned playfully and grabbed his arm, trying to force him out of the room. "You do not, 'Uugi. C'mon!"

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and gave in. The half of the children in his room were wearing them, why couldn't he? He took control of the pack and did some pulling of his own.

When all of the children were out of his room, he started purposely walking really fast down the hall. The expected groans of his brothers and sisters were heard as they tired to catch up with him. He chuckled a bit, and then slowed down his pace.

He got an idea. "Hey guys! Last one to the dining hall is a loser!" And they all took off running.

Though before Yuugi could start off, a hand gripped his upper arm to keep him from running off. He turned around and found it was Kaial. He smiled slightly at the boy and was about to question him, but the boy beat him to it.

"…Hey Yuugi?" The said older boy gave his brother a questioning glance. Kaial fidgeted. "I…I wanted to say sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to make you mad or anything. I was a real jerk." The younger hung his head.

Yuugi ruffled his hair, giving the boy the biggest smile he possibly could. That apology meant a lot to him. "Nah, it's probably me who should be saying sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that." Kaial looked up, surprised his brother still wasn't mad at him.

Yuugi continued. "Hey, whaddya say, how' bout a truce?" He couldn't possibly be mad at his brother on a great morning like this.

The boys' only answer was a big tackle hug. Yuugi laughed and crushed Kaial's head to his side with his arm, using his other arm to playfully run his knuckles across the others' scalp.

After Yuugi let go, Kaial smirked up at his brother. "So, last one to the hall's a loser, eh?" And he took off running. Yuugi yelled saying that he had an unfair head start, but was laughing his heart out the entire way there.

They both arrived at the doors at the exact same time, earning a groan from both. "So, I guess we're both losers, eh?" Kaial quipped.

Yuugi smirked teasingly. "Nope, just you!" and he walked inside the hall. Kaial huffed and went up to him and lightly punched him in the arm, then went and took his seat. Yuugi shook his head, then walked a little further up the table and sat himself in his own, smiling all the while. They were the last ones to arrive.

His father raised an eyebrow. "Sheesh, you lot seem happier than usual today! What've you been giving those kids, Yuugi?" He jokingly continued, "You all are an unexpected bunch, that's for sure!"

Yuugi opened his mouth to explain their abnormal happiness, but again was beaten to the chase. This time by his mother. She smiled at her husband and explained the phenomenon in the simplest terms possible. "It's Thursday, dear."

He cocked an eyebrow. "…and?"

Yuugi gave him a look that said _'Think about it for a few seconds.' _andthe King blinked.

"Ooooohhh…" He blinked again, "…I still don't get it." Yuugi facepalmed.

One of the older children piped up. "Today's a good day because all of the stupid lordy guys that always eat with us are off at their morning meetings. So we can actually sit together without them being so uptight and in our faces!" Their father laughed at that.

"Aww, c'mon now Emi. You should try to be nicer to your relatives!" Though he didn't contradict her blunt statement.

At this, a few of the younger children blinked. One of them spoke up. "…The people that sit with us are relatives? Ewww!"

This had half of the family on the floor. Yuugi even had to wipe some tears from his eyes. He himself didn't actually know the nobles that ate with them were relatives either, but his siblings' blatant disgust was enough to send him into hysterics.

After the laughter died down, their food was served. The mood died down slightly because of the distraction, but became louder as the meal progressed and people started finishing their food.

Yuugi was just finishing his third flapjack when his father asked him a question. "So, my boy, when are you planning on going out to see what those grungy Adepts are up to?"

Surprisingly, the mention of the 'grungy Adepts' did not dampen his mood in the least. He was more than used to the indirect insults by now.

He took another bite of his flapjack, seemingly contemplating the question. Though, he had already figured out his schedule for today.

After he finished chewing, he answered the question. "Eh, probably around 10 o'clock or so. That's when the market opens, and the salesmen always have the best gossip."

His father smiled once again. "That's my boy, always the thinker. Great idea!" Yuugi smiled and nodded. _'Man, I've gotten too good at lying to my parents. Who ever knew they could be so gullible?'_ His father continued to question him.

"When are those friends of your going to get here? I'd like to know so I can formally greet them. I haven't met too many of the people you know. It'll be nice to see what my son's social life is like!"

The Adept scrunched his nose up at the question. He himself wasn't too sure of the time they were coming in. He'd probably find out at the meeting later today.

"Actually…I have no idea. I was going to stop by the airway terminal on the way to the market and find out. They didn't give me a specific time when I talked to them last." His father nodded.

"Alright then, just see that they get here safely. I don't want them being zapped by Adepts on their way here!"

Yuugi laughed outright. He got the sudden mental image of a random group of people point fingers to their foreheads and purposely hurting themselves in a strange, awkward manner. His father gave him a questioning look and he simply smiled.

"I was just thinking of the look on your face if the Adepts actually did that!" _'There you go lying again, Yuugi. Sheesh.'_

The King nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'd be furious! I don't know who I'd sentence to death first!" At that, Yuugi's mother raised an eye at her husband.

"Now now, dear. What did I say about random, useless killing?"

"Only on Mondays, yeah yeah, I know…"

She smiled. "Good." And she got up and hugged him in a random burst of affection.

Yuugi smiled and spoke up after they were done. "Alright, may I be excused? I want to go upstairs and get changed if I want to get out of here by 10." His mother nodded her consent, and he smiled gratefully back at her. His father quipped up, suddenly saying, "Yes, because the clothes you wore down to breakfast are _so_ presentable." He laughed to take the rudeness out of the remark. His mother picked up where his father left off.

"Yes, because if the 'lordy guys' were here today, they'd have a fit. Can't have a Prince wear pajamas to the table, now can we?" She giggled.

Yuugi chuckled a bit and pointed to his brothers and sisters. "Blame them! They brought me here against my will!"

The entire end of the table screamed "Did NOT!" in unison, and everyone laughed.

The High Prince waved at his family before running up the stairs toward his room. When he was there, he quickly changed. He threw on a black, long-sleeved button up shirt that draped loosely over his shoulders. He then grabbed a matching pair of loose black pants and then went searching though his many pairs of boots. He found the ones he wanted, and then quickly put on the pants he had grabbed. He hopped around the room for a minute or two while trying to get his shoes on, and then went searching through his drawers once more.

He grabbed a small silver and amethyst dragon necklace that was looped around a silver chain, and delicately put it around his neck. He adjusted his collar slightly, and when he was satisfied with his look he walked out the door.

He made his way out to the gardens and took a shortcut through the hedge maze to make his way to the courtyard. Once there, he saw guards standing by the metal detectors at the entrance to the palace and walked up to them. He walked through the detectors and it beeped like it always did. The guards raised their eyebrows at him and he lifted up his pant leg to show them all of the buckles on his boots. He pointed out his necklace also, and they laughed a bit.

Even though he wasn't entering the palace, he still had to go through the safety precautions. If someone had managed to slip into the palace unnoticed, they could steal something and hide it on their person. It had happened before, and they wanted to prevent it.

After he passed the gate, Yuugi went up to a little metallic disk that was on the wall. He placed his face right in front of it, and when the guard pressed a little button, a red light shot out of it. It was scanning his eye. Everyone in the kingdom had their eyeprint on record, and it was how they kept track of criminal and escaped convicts. They were like fingerprints, except they weren't as troublesome. And the system was very effective.

After the scan was done and the guards had checked over it, he was free to go. He stretched his arms out over his head and yawned, then set out into the city.

He smiled. He loved going into the city, and went whenever he could. Plus, all of his friends lived in the city, so he had more of a reason then going just to look at people. But he still loved the feeling that he got when he walked through it.

_'Enough gazing around, Yuugi. You've got a meeting to get to!'_

He set off into the crowd.

**Authors' Notes:** Well, you got some fluffy family stuff in this chapter. Yuugi's personality was a little to uptight in the last chapter, so I gave him a reason to loosen up. I personally like him better when he's all sarcastic and bitchy, but that's just not in his character. Meh.

Yes, I gave him a completely new family. (I made OC's, Dear God, save me!) But don't worry too much, they wont play a real big part in the plot. Even Kaial. They're there because it would be hard to have a Royal family with just a Grandpa and a mom who's hardly there. So I forced his mom to stay home, and gave her a husband and a crapload of kids. If you don't like it, sue me. I'm not changing it.

XD! But, like I said, they wont really have a big part, so it's not a big deal. I might end up bringing Sugoroku into this thing later too, just to liven things up. After all, I mentioned briefly in the first chapter that he was an Adept, ne? I could make some fun stuff out of that.

Oh, well, we'll see how it goes.

**Next Chapter:** The meeting, and Eeon royals arrive!

Edit: This chapter is late, and I apologise. I'm currently at camp and have limited internet access. Sorry it wasn't out sooner.


	4. The Journey Home

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**Adeption**

**by HikariEryaviel**

**July 11, 2004 (2:12 AM)**

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**H**e could've slapped himself.

It was freezing cold outside, and he was wearing light clothes. _Why_ hadn't he thought of that? He loved rain, but now he was hoping against all odds that it wouldn't start pouring. That…would be bad. And he'd get soaked. And colder.

Yuugi shivered at the thought.

Though, past the goose bumps running down his arms, he was enjoying himself. The regular hustle and bustle of the city was a nice change from the uptight 'lordy guys' in the palace.

Plus, it was nice to be able to walk around and not have to look over your shoulder every five seconds. The palace had eyes everywhere, and it got really annoying. Yuugi could look out for himself just fine; he didn't need people to watch him everywhere he went.

It was a great feeling to be able to walk along the streets and not get bowed to or saluted at whenever he passed someone. Yuugi loved power as much as the next person, but being able to walk around the town as an equal was the best feeling in the world.

He walked along the road until he came to a small line of sidewalk going off in a completely different direction. It took him around the market and behind an old factory. Once there, the scenery changed dramatically. This part of town looked newer and cleaner than the rest of the city, and with good reason.

It was basically the magical district of Jynain. Everyone he knew lived here.

Yuugi walked along the sidewalk and down towards the end of the street. He was just wandering. He didn't have to be at the meeting until later, so he figured he'd just walk around and find something to do.

As soon as he was starting to feel the hints of boredom tugging at his mind, something fixed his problem for him. He soon found a small six year old attached to his leg screaming something incomprehensible.

He leaned down to look at him in the eye. "Hey, slow down there, kiddo. What's up?"

The little boy jumped up and down excitedly. "Mama taught me how to float things, Uncle Yuugi!" All of the children here called him uncle. It was an adorable habit they had picked up, and he had no idea where it came from.

"Really now? Can I see?" Yuugi replied. He loved watching the children learn. They were such good listeners when it came to magic.

The boy jumped up immediately. "Yep!" He closed his eyes and scrunched up it nose. After a few seconds, a wooden log next to the house was lifted up and brought over to the pair.

And then the log caught fire.

Yuugi slapped his hand to his forehead and laughed, but praised the boy all the same. "That was great, little one. But do you wanna shut off the fireworks now?" The child looked sheepish.

"I dunno how to stop fire yet…"

Another voice was added to the conversation. "Well, you should know how to by now, considering you've almost burned the house down three times." The women's' voice laughed afterwards, taking away the harshness of the remark. Yuugi, meanwhile, put out the fire with a burst of water.

The child looked up at the new person in the conversation and giggled. "Sorry, Mama…"

The woman smiled. "Get over here Erek, and stop bugging Yuugi."

Yuugi shook his head. "Ah, he's fine Ina. Besides," he playfully ruffled the boys' hair, "Who couldn't love this cute face?" The little one frowned.

"I am not cute! I'm big and strong!"

His mother nodded. "Yes you are, dear. Now, come here." He did as he was told and ran over to his mother, who scooped him up and held onto him. She turned to Yuugi. "Would you like to come in and get a drink?"

He smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

They walked inside the nicely decorated house and Yuugi took a seat on a stool near the counter. He rubbed his arms for warmth and looked up, only to meet a pair of eyes staring right into his. Those eyes blinked.

"Well?"

Yuugi raised an eyebrow, confused. "Well…what?"

"What do you want to drink, silly?"

Yuugi laughed. "Do you have any cocoa? It's _freezing_ out there." The woman gave him a look.

"Well, it wouldn't be so cold if you had dressed properly. It's the middle of winter and you're wearing summer clothes. Sheesh! Y'know, high and mighty royals like you should be setting examples for the younger ones." She poked fun at him, and Yuugi smiled.

"Oh, save it. I get that enough at home." She laughed and nodded her head.

"Damn straight, you do. Sorry, but I'd hate to be in your situation Uncle."

Yuugi rolled his eyes. "You're calling me Uncle now, too?" She shrugged.

"Why not?"

She then turned to her little boy who had occupied himself with levitating his toys off the ground. "What do you want to drink, Erek?" He thought for all of two seconds.

"I want hot chocolate like Uncle Yuugi!"

"Alrighty then, two hot cocoas coming right up!"

Yuugi was busy looking at random black spots on the countertop. "Where are these from?" Ina just laughed and shook her head.

"Eh, my kid's a pyro. He just can't help it. I'm even beginning to think that he's not completely Meyol." She laughed lightly.

Yuugi looked up from his observation of the counter, interested. "Y'suppose he might be an Anwen?" She shrugged.

"Could be. His mark doesn't have any indication of it, but that can change pretty quickly. His magic isn't fully developed anyways. Who knows what he'll turn out to be?"

The Prince nodded. "In any case, we'll see in a few years." Ina nodded in return, finishing the two drinks. She called her son over, and Yuugi accepted his own warm drink gratefully. Ina struck up another topic of conversation. "So, what brings you to this side of town?"

Yuugi sighed. "Business, mainly. But it's always nice to come out here. I have a meeting to go to in a bit, so I was thinking about finding Seto and Jou so we can walk to HQ together."

Ina raised an eyebrow. "Seto and Jou? Sheesh, Yuugi. Just make sure you don't walk in on them screwing or something. God knows with those two!"

"Mama, gross!"

Ina turned to her child and smiled apologetically. Yuugi laughed outright. "Ever since they've bonded, they've been going at it like rabbits. Y'think they'll ever stop hanging off each other?" The woman was blunt.

"Nope."

Yuugi shrugged. "Eh. I can dream, can't I?

"Dream all you want, but I'd bet my life that they'd still be sucking face while your back was turned."

Erek scrunched up his nose and made a sour face. "You guys are talking about weird stuff, I'm getting out of here!" And he jumped up and walked to the door of his room.

Ina smiled and watched him walk off. "Anyways, what's the meeting going to be about?"

"The incoming Adepts from Eeon. We still need to figure out their accommodations. I'm not exactly sure how many are coming."

Ina walked over to the refrigerator to get her own drink. "Some are staying at the Palace, right?"

Yuugi nodded. "A few. And may the Gods have mercy on them. I hope Dad doesn't find out."

"That…would be bad."

"Tell me about it."

She sat down across from Yuugi and took a sip from her drink. "Where're the other ones staying?"

"Seto's house. If they can stand it, that is." Yuugi replied.

Ina snorted. "Yeah, because the boogyman isn't the only thing that goes _bump_ in the night."

Yuugi smirked, "…That's gross."

"But oh so amusing, ne?"

"Of course." They both smiled. Yuugi looked at his watch.

"Well, I better start heading over to HQ. It's probably too late to stop by Seto and Jou's house now." She agreed.

"You'll see them at the meeting, no worries." She walked him to the door. And began her goodbyes'.

"I'll see you later, Yuugi, alright? You have to stop by more often. Erek and all the other kids love having you around."

Yuugi gave a thumbs up. "Definitly. I'll make sure to sneak out more often. I keep forgetting how fun it is over here."

She slung an arm around his shoulders. "Of course it's fun here! You can't talk to people and not get glared to death!" She laughed.

Yuugi smiled with her. "Yeah…thanks for the hot chocolate, too. It was great!"

"Anytime."

"…So I'll see you later?"

She laughed. "You'd better!"

"Alright!" He waved at her as he walked off.

She smiled at him one last time and closed the door. _'Yuugi's a great leader. I was getting sick of all the others we had. It's about time someone like him took the position. It's a great thing for all of us.'_ She was taken out of her thoughts by the sudden shrill ringing sound, and she ran to her son's room.

"Erek! What have I told you about setting you bed on fire?!"

The boy scratched his head.

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**Author's Notes:** This is serving as a filler chapter. I was going to get to the meeting and stuff, but I'm way too tired to attempt that right now. I've been gone at camp lately, and I just got back today. So I didn't have any time to write. I decided to at least get _something_ out there, so you get this. Sorry for the lateness and the shortness. It'll get a lot better once my camps are over.

Did I mention that I have another one in three days?


	5. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Adeption**

**By HikariEryaviel**

**(August 21, 2004. 4:35 PM.)**

**T**he young prince walked along the dirt path, and out of the neighborhood he was currently in. He was still cold. The hot chocolate he had gotten from Ina had lasted him a small ways, but its warming effects were beginning to wear off. He shivered and continued walking along.

A few minutes later, he got an idea, and began to warm up the air around him with his magic. He wasn't in the regular city anymore, was he? He could afford to use his magic now.

A little warmer, he walked along the path towards Seto and Jounouchi's house. He figured he could stop by there just in case they hadn't left yet. Besides, it wasn't completely out of his way. He could stop by and check, no big deal.

He continued along the dirt path until he saw a small sign a little ways off the side of the road. It read,

_'Those with ill intention should be cautious while entering. The person who trespasses upon my land shall be treated with no mercy.'_

Yuugi laughed a bit. It was Seto's way of trying to scare people off. Though, it hardly worked. The sign was so small, you almost had to have someone point it out to you or you'd miss it. Besides, it was old and rickety, so almost no one bothered to spare a glance at it.

Though, the sign had been put up with good reason. Seto was always having problems with people sneaking onto his property. He would get reporters and cameramen snooping around to try and get a good story out of something he did. Seto was a very influential member of society. He had a large gaming company up and running that was making thousands of dollars every day. The man was up to his knees in cash- Of course the media would want to pull something on him!

Though they hardly ever came out with a good story. Yuugi got tired of reading stupid tabloids screaming _'Kaiba creates real life humping porno lizard!' _in a font size too big it should have been illegal. But when they **did** get their facts straight…

Yuugi laughed outright. He entered Kaiba's property and made his way to the intercom, thinking all the while.

There was one tabloid where they managed to utterly humiliate the billionaire. It was merely a week after Jou and Seto had bonded, and they were up in their room, going at it like bunnies. They had left the window cracked open, and the noise they were making was attracting the unwelcome guests on the property. A man had made his way near the window and managed to get a shot of the two.

The window was slightly tinted, but you could tell what was going on behind it. It wasn't exactly hard to distinguish the two from each other, and it was definitely easy to tell what they were doing. It didn't take a genius.

The story made front cover. To this day, it still made Yuugi laugh. Jounouchi had even cut out the picture, and the Prince was pretty sure he had seen it in the teens' wallet. It amused him to no end.

Yuugi, still smiling, walked up to the intercom and pressed the red button on the front of the machine. It made a few dialing noises, and then a woman's voice spoke through it. _"Welcome to the home of Seto Kaiba. How may I be of service to you today?"_

Yuugi greeted the woman. "Hey Meli."

The voice seemed to brighten. "Oh, Yuugi! How are you? You haven't been around lately!"

"I'm doing just fine, now that I'm over in this district again. I haven't been able to get out of home for weeks! How are you doing?"

"Great, just that I'm bored with this job. Kaiba should have gotten the other stupid girls to do it. They actually like this job!" Her voice was bitter.

Yuugi smiled, despite her unhappiness. "Hey, at least you're not cleaning toilets or anything."

The woman snorted. "Yeah yeah…well, what brings you around here? Kaiba and Jounouchi left a half hour ago."

Yuugi made a face. "Really? Man, I was hoping to catch them before they left. Well…I should get going then, if they're gone already. I'll see you later, Meri."

"See you around, Yuugi!" The machine disconnected with a small _click_.

Yuugi turned and walked off the property, unhappy that he had made the trip for nothing. _'Oh well, it didn't hurt to check.'_

He shrugged and made his way down the dirt road and back to the main street. After a few cars passed by, he led himself across the newly paved road. He walked into an ally way beside a large building, and over to the small chainlink fence. He hopped it easily, and came out on the other side of the building.

In front of him were a huge mass of apple trees, and to his left was a dirt road similar to the one that led to the Kaiba mansion. Yuugi looked back and forth between the road and the trees, seemingly contemplating something, before coming to a conclusion. _'I might as well take the shortcut through the grove, seeing as how I'm going to be late if I don't hurry. Just hope I don't run into Matt…"_

Matt was the farmers' son. His father had grown the grove, and his son was always waltzing around inside it. The boy would always harass Yuugi, and he was hoping he wouldn't be forced to talk to him for a while.

He walked in, and pretty soon he was walking out without a hitch. He continued walking passed the road that ran alongside the grove, and into a dirt field. He came to a small plaque in the middle of a field, and leaned down next to it. He reached out and pressed down on the word 'memorial' on it. It gave in, and as soon as the button was pressed down, he twisted it sideways. The plaque moved upward until a small computer was showing. The small device began it's normal routine.

The machine let out a computerized voice.** "It is July 24, 2807, and the current time is 11:47 PM. Welcome to Headquarters. Please state your name and reason for entering."**

The teen smiled and answered, "Yuugi Mutou. I'm here for a business meeting"

**"Analyzing name and voice. Please wait while this information is being processed."**

It barely took two seconds before the computer had finished its' task. **"Identity confirmed. Yuugi Mutou, seventeen years of age, born June 4, 2790. Neuscion Adept and current Adept Leader. Voice Analysis confirmed. Access Granted."**

The small computer automatically turned itself off, and the plaque made its way back to the ground. Right behind the plaque, a trap door was opening. It had a dark staircase leading to the inside of the headquarters.

Yuugi began to walk down the stairs, and the minute he put a foot on the first stair, lights sprang on from the ceiling. He made his way down to the bottom where he came to a wall with another computer imbedded into it. He pressed a button on the screen.

**"Eye analysis beginning. Please refrain from blinking until the process has ended. Thank you."**

Yuugi's eye was scanned, and he was let in with no complications. The wall slid to the side, revealing a large underground hallway. The place had a very businesslike feel to it. People were running around everywhere, trying to make it to appointments and the like. Yuugi smiled. He loved it here.

He made his way to the elevator, finding it surprisingly empty. He pressed the button for the 3rd level, and felt the elevator move down. The teen allowed himself to relax for a moment. He finally reached his destination, and the doors sprung open.

He walked out into the hall, and towards two big double doors at the end of the hallway. He gripped the handle and pushed on the huge door, it opened without a squeak. What he saw inside made him sputter.

Jounouchi was parading around the office with Seto on his shoulders, looking absolutely ridiculous. Meanwhile, some of the other people in the room were also attempting to get on one another's shoulders so they could try and knock Seto off. Jou started laughing like a maniac and ran as fast as he could back and forth across the room, making Seto look a bit sick to his stomach. Yuugi shook his head, laughing quietly to himself.

He walked in.

**Author's Notes: I got lazy. I was going to add _lots_ more to this chapter, but it got put on hold. This was made about a month and ½ ago, and I'm sorry for the delay. The next chapter _will_ be out soon.**

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